Budgets, The Other B-Word

Soon To Be Newlyweds,
​Wedding are expensive. Period. The End.  Worth every penny? Absolutely! Well, sometimes.  A lot of wasteful and avoidable spending can occur around a wedding, especially if you don’t have a budget.

​Yes, I said budget.  The worst of the B-words. Now, I have a deep and committed love for budgets. But I won’t bore you with that love affair, rather I'll share why budgets should become your new BFF and some tips to start your own.  

Why Love Budgets?
Perhaps the most uncomfortable aspect of a budget is seeing the reality of your spending habits in black and white.  But after you seeing this uncomfortable truth you will be better equipped to prioritize your wedding spending. And if you have your priorities in order you will be less likely to overspend needlessly.  
Getting Started
Setting a budget for your wedding and sticking to it can be an uncomfortable and daunting task.  Trust me, I get it. But the feeling that you are overspending on your wedding is worse. Here are some steps to get you started.

• Will that be Cash or Credit? Get off to a good start by knowing how much money you will have to spend on this important occassion.  Answering who will pay for your wedding is stressful. Have the uncomfortable conversation with family if you haven’t already and confirm where and how you will have their support.  Paying without family support? Be honest with what you can afford and commit to staying within your limit.
• Wishlist- Next comes the complicated portion of a budget.  Planning your spending. Write out all the different services you will need priority order.   List out how much you are willing to spend on each of these services. We’ll call this the Wishlist.  In addition to your Wishlist you will want to plan out your Special Extras. This will be your expenses related to attire, gifts, favors, etc.
• Reality Check- If you haven’t already, start reaching out to vendors and request a quote for services, at least three per type e.g. venue, florist, photographer, etc. Blatant Self Promotion Alert- we offer this service for a reasonable flat fee with quick turnaround times.   After you compare your quotes to your Wishlist ask yourself: Was it realistic? Can you afford the deposits? Will it leave your Special Extras out in the cold?
• Readjust-  If you find that you are exceeding your limit you can now easily cut spending on your low priorities to afford the services most important to you.
• Repeat this step until you are comfortable with how you've made your Wishlist a reality. I say knowing this with the thought of sacrificing this shoe physically paining me.

You’ve done the hard work and now you can book your vendors and purchasing your Special Extras!  All with the peace of mind you’re within budget and spending wisely! So grab your tool of choice (paper and pen, Google Sheets, bullet journal) handy and ready, set, budget!  

Keep Celebrating,
​Anika